One Year Indie-versary and Giveaway!!!

One
year ago today, I pushed publish on Avoiding Commitment. It’s been a
pretty spectacular year since then. I’ve released four books this year,
gone to four book signings in Seattle, Boston, Orlando, and New York City, met a ton of authors and readers, and had an
amazing time all around.

So,
how did I get here?

I
get asked the question a lot. How did you decided to publish? What
made you start writing? Well, I have to back up a lot longer to answer
this question.

The
most obvious answer is…I’ve always written. I wrote two YA books with
my friend Megan in high school. I would pass her my notebook in between
classes and she would read and edit and add during her class and then hand it
back. Those books probably aren’t going to see the light of day for a long long
time. lol

After
that, I had tons of ideas for books, but nothing that I thought worthwhile
enough to write a full book. I probably picked up and put down twenty
different projects before the idea for Avoiding Commitment hit me. I
started writing that book in fall of 2009, and posted the book chapter by
chapter for free on FictionPress.com. It was hardly an instant
success. I think I had like five people read it regularly, but I didn’t
stop writing.

Fast
forward just a little bit and I stumbled across this really really unknown book
that didn’t even have 100 reviews on FictionPress (which basically means it’s
nonexistent) and that book was called Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens. I
decided to give it a try and reviewed every single chapter. I was the 100th
review! We started talking, she started reading AC, and we became friends.

In
2011, she decided to publish Thoughtless, and told me that I should publish
AC. Unfortunately, I was in grad school at this point, still trying to
finish Avoiding Responsibility, running a dance team…life was too
hectic. I said no thanks, that’s not for me. I didn’t think I could
put them out there like that.

Move
forward a little bit more in time, and my books have picked up in
popularity. I won a SKOW (Some Kind of Wonderful) Award for Best Villain
(Bekah), and the books are getting more readers, which is all I ever
wanted. Then a certain book blog, Maryse.net (hi Maryse *waves*), picks it up and starts
reading it and it goes from like a hundred readers a week to like
thousands and thousands of readers a week. I was really really confused
as to what happened, but still I had a life and was about to start my first job
post graduation. I didn’t have time to edit and what about a cover and
how do you even publish in the first place?!?!

A
couple weeks later, I get an email from this woman, Colleen Hoover. She
tells me that her readers have told her to read my books, and that I should NOT
be giving them away for free. She tells me to publish and offers to help
me if I need it. My first thought was WHO THE HELL IS COLLEEN
HOOVER? Well, so I look her up and I’m like oh yeah, just a New York Times
Best Selling author…no big deal.

And
then I frantically edit the book for the next month while working on the
campaign 100 hours a week. S.C. Stephens and Colleen help me along the
way. Then it comes down to a cover. I’m going to use S.C. Stephens designer, but
literally two weeks before I have to have the cover, the designer goes on
vacation. I’m freaking out, because well…what the hell am I supposed to
do?

I
message my friend Sarah Hansen. She had read the Avoiding Series and made
me a facebook banner. And I said, Sarah! Do you know how to design
covers? And she was like, I could try. So, she designed Avoiding
Commitment and thus, came the birth of Okay Creations.

I manage to get everything done in a month, press publish, and the rest I suppose is history. There are a million people I could thank, and I don’t even know where to begin, but I’ll do a quick run down and If I miss you know that I still love you!

Congratulations and thank you for sharing this awesome giveaway with us!! You are so very generous and one of the sweetest ladies I met at Book Bash! I would love a signed copy of Author Claire Contreras' series…those books blew my mind! 🙂

Happy one year indie-versary!! I've been a fan since the beginning!! So happy for you and all you've accomplished! So out of all those awesome signed books, I would most like to win the Avoiding Series! 🙂

I'm sure everyone would agree with me, but I am so glad you decided to put your books out there! I love them! I've read most of these books, so a signed copy by any would be fantastic. If I had to choose, I would choose Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan because I haven't read that one yet. 🙂 Thanks for the amazing giveaway!

Congratulations on your Indie-versary! That is amazing…and your journey is one packed with awesomeness, all those ladies are so amazing as well. I would love to win your books signed, but would be happy to win anything 😉 Thank you so much!

Such a HUGE fan! I met you in Orlando this year, and you are as precious in person as I thought you would be! Congratulations your anniversary! Looking forward to many, many, many more books from you! I have read all the books in your giveaway! Great choices! I would die to have any of them, but would LOVE to have a signed paperback of the Avoiding Series! xx

Congrats on your anniversary 🙂 The signed books I would love if I could win them are Following me (my sons name is Brennan :)) Any book from the Thoughtless Series and The Perfect Game to go along with my signed copy of The Game Changer 🙂

Congratulations… and to many many more! Im so happy to have stumbled upon most of these wonderful books and amazing authors. you all make my life a little more complete! Thank you for more than you'll ever know!!! keep them coming!

Since practically all my fave authors are on board with this series I guess I should finally check it out! Thanks for the giveaway. Congrats your story is inspiring. I would love a copy of Reason to Breathe 🙂

It's so hard to choose since some of the signed ones are on my TBR, but I would probably pick the Avoiding Series as #1. I've read them and love them so much! In The Air & The Perfect Game are at the top of ones that I still need to read. CONGRATS on all the success you're had and thank you so much for the fabulous stories!

What an awesome story! And I love the work of those that helped you too. The giveaway is pretty darn awesome too. I've read a lot of these, but have yet to read Claire Contreras or K.A. Linde yet so those would be awesome

HAPPY INDIE-VERSARY!!!!Such a wonderful giveaway for us but I would like to thank you for your amazing books!!!I will love to win The Thoughless Series,J.Sterling, Colleen Hoover and of course your books!!!!Thanks again

Happy one year indie-versary! I'm in the middle of reading the Avoiding series and I absolutely love it. So I would love the signed Avoiding series or the Thoughtless series. Thanks for the amazing giveaway!

Congrats! I love the way you write and your books are amazing!I don't have any signed paperback and all these books intrigue me! If I win any of them I'll probably die and read them all as a ghost! The ones I's like to have the most are obviously the signed set of Avoiding or Thoughtless!

All of the prizes are great, but I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE…LOVE (haha) to win your Avoiding series!!A huge congrats on your success this past year and Happy Indie-versary!!! Thank you for celebrating with us with this amazing giveaway 🙂

Congratulations I love the fact this day in age we have Indie authors out there and its seems so much more personal between readers and authors so many great books to chhose from any paperback would be great 🙂

Congrats on one year 🙂 Wow what a hard choice I would have to go with Thoughtless, Effortless, Reckless by S.C. Stephens or Slammed and Hopeless by Colleen Hoover Thank you so much for the amazing chance <3

I would LOVE to win Slammed and Hopeless by Colleen Hoover; those books really got me into contemporary fiction. Thanks so much for the giveaway & congrats on all of your success! I loved reading your 'story' here; VERY encouraging to an aspiring author like me <3

Congratulations!! I've read all of your books and will continue to do so. You are an amazing writer and a very strong willed person to take on so much at one time. I commend your strength and tenacity. You had other great authors in your corner and I'll say thank you to them as well. Without them I wouldn't have the pleasure of reading such wonderful books. Happy Bookiversary and I hope you sell many many more!

Winning any of the books would be awesome, I've read most of them. Happy Indie-versary and here's to many, many more. The book I really would like to read and haven't yet is "Reason to Breathe" by Rebecca Donovan. Thank you!

Happy one year anniversary!!! Thanks for this freaking amazing giveaway.♡♥♡ I would be beyond escastic to win a signed copy of your Avoiding series, Slammed/Hopeless, or the Chocolate Lovers series, or possibly The Game Changer. So many fantastic books by some kick ass authors. Thank you all. =)

The Thoughtless Series is my favorite ever…unfortunately because I find Kiera so relatable and raw. Would love to see it in film. Thanks to S.C. Stephens sharing this blog, I have so many new must reads! Congrats!

Congratulations!! I read Avoiding Commitment on FictionPress and have been hooked on the Avoiding series ever since! I LOVE your writing! I found AC through a certain Thoughtless author so needless to say would love to win the signed Thoughtless series, with the Avoiding series and Colleen Hoover's books a close second. Congrats again and thanks for the wonderful books!!

First off, congrats on your accomplishments. This blog and giveaway was inspiring and touching for the remarkable way you displayed gratitude. It truly seems like an awesome sisterhood bond you all share. I have heard of you via Goodreads.com and even bought book 1. I must admit that I have yet to read it. I happened upon your giveaway via the Naughty Mafia… You just gained massive cool points from me. I do hope to meet you in Vegas. Perhaps one day soon I will be able to pay it forward as well. Thank you so much…Joanie

Congrats on all your success! I would LOVE to win the Thoughtless series! I LOVE S.C Stephens, I haven't been able to make it to a signing yet. I am dying to have a signed set! :)I.am.obsessed.with.Kellan.Kyle!

Congrats. That's a great accomplishment. Thank you for the giveaway. It's a tough decision. Those are all great books. I guess i would choose the avoiding series. I haven't read the avoiding intimacy yet.

I would absolutely LOVE LOVE to win the Avoiding Commitment series. Those books are fantastic. I couldn't get this to publish with my name so I had to go with anonymous. Name is Trish Gibson one of these days I will figure out how yo post on these things right. Lol

Your story is so inspiring! Not only to others who wish to write, but to anyone who has a desire to do something they really love. So glad you made that leap of faith as we have all benefited from it!!

(Not sure if my first comment went through, my computer froze so I am going to try this again!) Congratulations on your one year Indie-versary, I love all your books! Thanks for the giveaway, I would love to win the signed paperback special edition of Chocolate Lovers Series by Tara Sivec.

Congrats!!! Thanks for the amazing giveaway!! That is a hard one….I would love There is No Light in Darkness/Darkness Before Dawn, Sweet Thing, The Game Changer, Slammed/Hopeless, really any of them!!!

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